Memory Alpha notes: "Jack Treviņo, a writer who sold several stories to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, once pitched a story to Star Trek: Enterprise about the crew of the NX-01 encountering Tan Ru, before it merged with Nomad. The story was well-received, and Treviņo felt it might have been bought, but this never happened, due to the cancellation of Enterprise.

In the season one episode, "Civilization", the crew did meet the Malurians, a race the merged probe would later destroy.